The King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania lost its satellite station and two fire units to a fire early Sunday morning, officials said.
At 12:44 a.m., an automatic fire alarm was received from the company's Biedler Road station. Units were dispatched a minute later and police arrived on the scene to find the front of the unmanned fire station well involved with heavy fire, a department spokesperson said.
The station, approximately 50-by-50 feet in size, housed a rescue pumper and a tower ladder, and is located in a residential area of Upper Merion Township.
The two-alarm fire was under control within 45 minutes. The station sustained substantial damage to the roof structure, main door sections, and smoke and heat damage to the entire interior of the building.
Bill Daywalt, Chief of Fire/Rescue Services for the company, commanded the incident with approximately 60 firefighters operating.
On Sunday afternoon, firefighters were busily doing inventory of the equipment lost and arranging with insurance carriers to confirm coverages and begin the claims process, fire company Chief Executive Officer Bill Jenaway said.
"In addition, [the fire company is] recovering from the loss of this important fire station in the community," Jenaway said in a statement.
"Our first challenge is to modify response procedures for the short term and then determine longer term actions until the fire station is rebuilt and the trucks replaced," Daywalt said.
King of Prussia firefighters responded with two engines and a heavy rescue unit. Assistance was provided by the Swedeland Volunteer Fire Company, with a ladder and engine company; Lower Providence Volunteer Fire Company provided a Rapid Intervention Team; Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company provided engine company support; and Lafayette Ambulance Squad provided EMS support on the scene during the incident.
Fire Police remained on the scene until crews arrived to secure the building. The Swedesburg and Bridgeport volunteer fire companies stood by at the King of Prussia main station during the blaze.
There were no injuries reported and damage estimates were not immediately available. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday, but appeared to be accidental, fire officials said.
The King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company requests that other departments not contact them for more information at this time. The department, with the assistance of other local departments, is handling the sudden loss of their station and there are currently no requests for replacement equipment or other services at this time.
Lost in the blaze was a 1997 KME rescue pumper, Squad 47, and a 1986 Duplex/LTI tower ladder, Tower 47.
About the Department
King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company protects 30,000 people living in an area of 15 square miles. The department operates out of 2 stations that protect a primarily commercial area. Our department is a public department whose members are on a volunteer status. The Department has an ISO Ratring of 5.
Founded in 1950, the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company currently operates as an all-volunteer fire department out of two stations. The fleet consists of ten pieces of apparatus which are housed on Allendale Road (Station A), and Biedler Road (Station B), the firehouse which suffered the blaze.
